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July 4th, 2015
It’s July 4th, that means fireworks displays. What better time to order up some gunpowder? We’re pleased to report that Midsouth Shooters Supply has received some big shipments from the major powder makers. In stock now at Midsouth are many of the most popular accuracy powders, including: Hodgdon 4198, Hodgdon 4831, IMR 4166, IMR 8208 XBR, Vithavuori N133, Accurate LT30 and LT32, Norma 203B, Alliant AR Comp, and many more. Sorry Midsouth doesn’t have Varget or H4350, but Midsouth has the vast majority of the propellants our benchrest and precision shooters favor.
H4198 and LT30 are great for the 30BR, AR Comp and CFE 223 are excellent for Service Rifle shooters, VV N133 is a top choice for the 6PPC, Norma 203B (nearly identical to Reloder 15) is great in the 6mmBR and Dasher, IMR 8208 XBR is very accurate in the .308 Win, and Hodgdon H4831 is an excellent choice for the .284 Winchester and 7mm WSM.
All these popular Powders (and many more) are in stock:
July 3rd, 2015
Our friend Vince Bottomley has reviewed the Leupold VX-6 7-42x56mm scope for Target Shooter Magazine, a UK-based webzine. Vince put Leupold’s new 7-42X through its paces, testing its suitability for F-Class competition. Vince liked the scope. The glass was bright and the clicks were repeatable. Point of impact did not change after zooming from 7X all the way out to 42X. Finding the view “crystal-clear and sharp” at 42X, Vince concluded that “the Leupold would be very shootable at max power.”
Interestingly, the vertical elevation clicks are 1/8 MOA while the horizontal clicks are 1/4 MOA.* Vince found that a bit confusing, but “all other controls — the side-focus [parallax], zoom-ring, and European-style ocular focus-ring are spot-on and moved with a reassuringly precise feel.”
READ Target Shooter Magazine Leupold VX-6 7-42x56mm SCOPE TEST
Here are some highlights from Vince Bottomley’s review:
Initial reaction? It looks right – not as chunky as a Schmidt, not long and slim like the new Nightforce, just right in fact – like the March and the new SV 10-50 Sightron. In line with the new breed of high-end optics, it sports a 34mm body-tube but, weight-wise it’s bang on the money at 26.5 oz – the same as my 8-32 Sightron and lighter than the 28 oz. Nightforce Competition 15-55.
Are odd ounces that important? Yes they are – to weight-conscious F-TR shooters, who may be attracted by this scope as an alternative to the March 10-60X – which is even lighter at a tad under 25 ounces. Putting together an effective F-TR gun is all about making compromises – pick a 10-60 March over the 15-55 Nightforce and you can add an inch to your barrel!
With just 55 MOA of elevation adjustment, the VX-6 isn’t over-generous but of course, tapered scope-rails are now readily available for most rifles if you need more MOA. Windage is adequate at 45 MOA.
In conclusion, this is a very fine long-range target scope, which should definitely appeal to serious F-Class shooters and must be considered alongside the 10-60 March and 15-55 Nightforce Competition scopes. Also, the Leupold lifetime ‘no quibble’ guarantee is the best in the business – if you can’t make up your mind, this could be the deal-maker.
*Actually, the true click values are closer to 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch (rather than 1/8 MOA and 1/4 MOA). To calibrate the true click values, Vince took a baseline shot then wound on 20 MOA “up” vertical. His second shot impacted 19.875″ higher. One MOA is 1.047 inches, so 20 MOA should have measured 20.94″ inches. So his 20 MOA was off by about 1 inch, or 5%. This variance is not unusual, and it demonstrates why you should always verify your true scope values before shooting a match.
July 3rd, 2015
You can quickly access loads for Alliant powders via Alliant’s Online Reloader’s Guide. There you’ll find hundreds of recipes for rifle loads, pistol loads, and shotshell loads. While it’s handy to use the Alliant website when you have a live connection, you can also download the Alliant Reloaders’ Guide in PDF format for off-line viewing. That way you can archive the Guide on your computer, or keep the file on a mobile device for use in the field or workshop.
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD ALLIANT RELOADER’S GUIDE (PDF format).
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Popular Alliant Rifle Powders
Alliant 2400
1200-R
2000-MR
4000-MR
AR Comp
Reloder 7
Reloder 10X
Reloder 15
Reloder 17
Reloder 19
Reloder 22
Reloder 23
Reloder 25
Reloder 26
Reloder 33
Reloder 50
Varmint
CLICK HERE for eZine Version of Guide |
Alliant’s 116-page PDF Reloader’s Guide includes recipes for shotgun, pistol, and rifle. This guide includes important safety instructions, plus reloading data for most popular cartridges. The guide includes Alliant’s new Reloder 23, 26 and Power Pro powders. Most of the listed rifle loads are for Speer bullets, but there are also loads with Barnes, Berger, Hornady, Nosler and Sierra bullets.
Get FREE Print (Paper) Alliant Reloader’s Guide
You can also get a FREE PRINT VERSION of the 2015 Alliant Powder Reloader’s Guide. Just CLICK HERE and fill out your name and address. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.
July 2nd, 2015
Not many folks are familiar with the .300 Lapua Magnum, but this big boomer is an official CIP-certified cartridge for which Vihtavuori offers load data. This necked-down version of the .338 Lapua Magnum makes one heck of a hunting cartridge. In our article on the .300 Lapua Magnum (aka 30-338 LM), you’ll find expert advice on forming the cases from .338 Lapua Magnum brass plus tips on selecting powder and bullets. The story also features some great photos of a 30-338 custom Richard Franklin built for a California client. That rifle is designed as an Elk Gun, shooting the 190gr Berger VLDs with Reloder 22 powder. The laminated stock is made from exhibition-grade Claro Crotch Walnut and Dennis Smith (aka the Stock Doctor) provided beautiful checkering and a hand-rubbed oil finish.
 Ultimate Varmint Cartridge?
Franklin has also pioneered an ultra-high-velocity varmint version of the 30-338 LM. This cartidge achieves amazing 30-Cal velocities using long, very slow-twist barrels. Richard tells us: “I use 15- to 17-twist barrels with both the 300 WSM Varminter and the 30-338 Lapua Varminter. The 300 WSM easily gets 3900 fps with the Nosler 125gr Ballistic Tip and the 30-338 Lapua will do 4150 fps easily with the same 125gr B-Tip. In the 30-338 LM, the 130gr Barnes, a “ringed” bullet with grooves to reduce bearing surface, will get another 150 fps, topping out at 4300 fps. I find the 17-twist does a good job with the light bullets in the 30-338 but I’m going to try an 18-twist and a 19-twist to see if high velocity is a little more easier to obtain. I believe the 19-twist will beat any thing I’ve built to date for velocity and I also believe it’s going to be very accurate.”
The “Official” .300 Lapua Magnum
While nearly every 30-338 you see in the USA is a wildcat, manually formed by necking-down the .338 Lapua brass, there was an “official” version, the “.300 Lapua Magnum”. This was a factory 30-caliber cartridge based on the .338 Lapua Magnum parent case. Lapua produced enough factory ammo to get the .300 Lapua Magnum sanctioned as an official CIP-certified cartridge. QuickLOAD includes the .300 Lapua Magnum in its load database, and QuickDESIGN has complete CIP cartridge specifications. Unfortunately, the .300 Lapua Magnum is no longer in production. For you cartridge collectors, we’re not even sure if Lapua ever produced brass with a distinctive “300 Lapua Magnum” headstamp. However Vihtavuori does include .300 Lapua Magnum load data in the current Vihtavuori Load Manual. That reloading guide shows the .300 Lapua Magnum can drive a 220gr HPBT Sierra MatchKing at 3044 fps with a max charge of VV 24N41 powder. The .300 Lapua Magnum can push the 30-caliber 155gr Lapua Scenar at nearly 3500 fps with VV N170 powder. That’s impressive performance indeed!
CLICK HERE to download Current Vihtavuori RELOADING MANUAL (35-page .pdf file).
July 2nd, 2015
Want to go big…on a budget? Then check out the new Savage Model 112 in .338 Lapua Magnum. MSRP for this new rifle is just $1177 and “street price” should be considerably lower. That’s tempting. Most factory target rifles chambered for the .338 Lapua Magnum are quite expensive (and you could easily spend four grand or more on a full custom .338 LM). The new single-shot Model 112 Magnum Target from Savage Arms provides a much more affordable platform for the powerful cartridge. (In the photo below at the bottom of this story, you can see the .338 LM compared to .308 Win and 6mmBR. The .338 LM is definitely a brute of a cartridge.)
 The new rifle features a single-shot Magnum Target Action coupled to a 26″ heavy barrel fitted with a big muzzle brake. The Target AccuTrigger adjusts to a minimum pull-weight of 6 ounces. Rifle weight, without scope, is 12 pounds. The gray/brown laminated stock features a near-vertical grip with a moderate amount of drop in the buttstock. We’ve used this same-type stock on other Savages. It is comfortable and works well with a bipod. However, you may want to add a “bag-rider” in the rear for better tracking.
More .338 Lapua Options from Savage
The new Model 112 Magnum in .338 Lapua Magnum is currently offered in a right-hand, single-shot version only. If you prefer a .338 LM rifle with a magazine, Savage offers three other rifles chambered for the .338 Lapua Magnum which all feature 5-round detachable box magazines:
1. Model 110 BA, Law Enforcement Series, $2638 MSRP.
2. Model 10/110 FCP HS Precision Stock, $1726 MSRP.
3. Model 11/111 Long Range Hunter, $1380 MSRP.
July 2nd, 2015
 Forum member Rich DeSimone uses a handy “Stub Gauge” for setting shoulder “bump” and seating depth. The gauge is made from a section of barrel lopped off when the muzzle is crowned. The chambering reamer is run in about 1/4 of the way, enough to capture the neck and shoulder area of the case. Rich then uses his full-length die to “bump” a master case with the ideal amount of headspace for easy feeding and extraction. He takes that case and sets it in this Stub Gauge, and measures from the front of the gauge to the rim. He can then quickly compare any fired case to a his “master” case with optimal headspace. Since the gauge measures off the shoulder datum, this tells him how much to bump his fired brass.
In addition, the Stub Gauge can be used to set bullet seating-depth. Rich has a channel cut transversely on one side of the gauge, exposing the throat area. Since the interior of the gauge is identical to the chamber in his gun, this lets him see where a seated bullet engages the rifling. He can tinker with bullet seating length until he gets just the right amount of land contact on the bullet, confirmed visually. Then he measures the case OAL and sets his seating dies accordingly. This is much handier than using a Stoney Point Tool to measure distance to the lands. As your barrel’s throat wears, you may seat your bullets out further to “chase the lands”, but the gauge provides a constant land engagement point, in the barrel’s “as new” condition. By measuring the difference between the land contact point on the gauge and the actual contact point on your barrel, you can determine throat “migration”.
July 1st, 2015
As an American firearms owner, you’re in good company. A new Columbia University Study indicates that nearly 30% of American adults own at least one gun. As you might expect, state gun ownership rates varied greatly. States with low population density showed a higher percentage of gun owners. The Top Five gun-owning states were: Alaska (61.9%), Arkansas (57.9%), Idaho (56.9%), West Virginia (54.2%), and Wyoming (53.8%). As you’d expect Montana (52.3%) and New Mexico (49.9%) were in the Top Ten, but to our surprise Texas, at 35.5%, was not. Must be those Yuppies in Austin …
Two East Coast micro-states were at the bottom of the scale, with gun ownership rates under 6%. Delaware, at 5.2%, had the lowest percentage of gun owners, followed by Rhode Island (5.8%).
The gun ownership study, published on the Injury Prevention website, showed that 29.1% of Americans over age 18 own firearms. Results were based on a web survey of a representative sample of 4000 persons from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. CLICK HERE to Read Full Study.
July 1st, 2015
If you shoot an AR-platform rifle, you could probably use one of these gadgets. A brass-catcher keeps your brass in good shape and saves you the hassle of picking up fired cases. Moreover, nearby shooters no longer have to fear being pelted with your hot brass.
July 1st, 2015
In our Forum recently, there was a discussion about “improved” cartridges based on the .243 Winchester parent case. One popular such cartridge is the Super LR, a 30° long-necked wildcat. The 6mm Super LR was developed by Robert Whitley, who wanted something similar to the 6XC, but with “more boiler room” to push the 115-grain bullets comfortably at 2950-3050 fps.
To illustrate the Super LR for interested readers, we dug into our archives and found a report on a 6mm Super LR varmint rifle belonging to Barry O. (aka “TheBlueEyedBear”), a long-time AccurateShooter Forum member. A few years back, Barry put together an impressive 6mm Super LR long-range varminter on a BAT SV action. Barry actually sourced many of the components for this rifle through our AccurateShooter Forum Free Classifieds. CLICK HERE to read all about Barry’s Super LR BAT-Actioned varmint rifle, featured in our popular Gun of the Week Series.
CLICK Photo to Read Full Story
The Richard Franklin walnut LowRider stock (above) for Barry’s rifle came from fellow Forum member “Preacher”, who also did most of the metal work. The gun is chambered as a 6mm Super LR.
6mm Super LR Cartridge Design and Loading Advice
by Robert Whitley, AR-X Enterprises
Conceptually, the 6mm Super LR is like a long-bodied 6XC (case body about .120″ longer). The Super LR has a long neck (.321″ vs. the .263″ long neck of the parent .243 Winchester case). The Super LR also has a 30° shoulder angle vs. the 20° shoulder angle of the .243 Winchester parent case. The Super LR has about 54 grains of H20 capacity, compared to 55 grains for the .243 Win and 49 grains H20 for the 6XC.
The Super LR has sufficient case capacity to shoot the 115gr 6mm bullets in the 2950 – 3000 fps range without being “on the edge” of maximum pressure. If you do not need to run sustained fire in long strings, you can “hot rod” things more. Testing has shown that the Super LR can run the 115s up around 3100 fps without issues. With the 105-108 grain 6mm bullets, the 6mm Super LR can push them up in the 3150-3200 fps range with the right powders. In addition, if you like to shoot the 105-108 grain bullets close to the lands, or engaging the lands, the Super LR cartridge case neck is long enough to give most of them a good bearing surface purchase, even if the chamber is throated for the 115gr bullets. That gives the 6mm Super LR cartridge great versatility.
The 30° shoulder angle of the 6mm Super LR is another good feature of the Super LR. Not only does it help to avoid the throat-torching effect that people associate with the .243 Winchester (because of the .243’s short neck and 20° shoulder angle), but the 30° shoulder angle has also been a hallmark of some very accurate cartridges such as the 6 PPC, 6mm BR, 6XC, and 6.5 x 47, to name a few.
The 6mm Super LR wildcat is easy to make. Robert Whitley figured out how to reform domestic .243 Win brass with one simple pass through a Redding 6mm Super LR full-length sizing die. Robert has commissioned these dies from Redding. Call Robert at (215) 348-8789 to order.Learn more about the 6mm Super LR on Whitley’s www.6mmAR.com website.
June 30th, 2015
Way to go Team USA! The American F-Class squad won the prestigious Creedmoor Cup competition held June 28-29 at the Midlands National Shooting Centre in Tullamore, Ireland. This is a competition with a rich history, going back to the original Challenge Match in 1874 between American and Irish Teams in Creedmoor, New York. (Read Match History)
Photo by Matthew Schwartzkopf.
Phil Kelley wrote: “I never knew when planning for this trip the wonderful history that is the Creedmoor Cup, Ireland and U.S. rifle competition, and the hunger of the Irish for freedom. It is one of many things that has made this trip so enjoyable. J.P. Craven [opened] the Creedmoor competition with John Sigler, previous President of the NRA. John had the honor of the first shot with a rifle used to help gain Irish independence. The Irish, like Americans, have a rich history that ties the rifle and independence together. It has been an honor to be part of this event, with each and every individual that is part of it.”
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